SD Card

SD cards

SD cards are used to expand storage space of notebooks, digital cameras, camcorders and action cameras. With SD cards, you can also easily transfer data between different devices.

• SD cards - capacity: 8MB - 2GB, no longer used due to their insufficient capacity
• SDHC cards - capacity: 4GB - 32GB, the most widely used type
• SDXC cards - capacity: 64GB - 2TB (a theoretical maximum, 512GB in practice)

microSD cards

Compared to conventional SD cards, microSD cards are significantly smaller, so they are ideal for expanding storage space of mobile phones, tablets, and other portable devices. Be careful if you want to buy a microSD card for your phone. Not every phone has a microSD card slot.

• microSDHC cards - capacity: 4GB - 32GB, commonly used
• microSDXC cards - capacity: 64GB - 2TB (a theoretical maximum, 512GB in practice)

Read and write speeds of a memory card

Memory cards are divided into speed classes. A class number specifies the minimum guaranteed write speed. The read speed is always the same or higher than the write speed. If you're planning to record videos and take high-resolution photos, it is important to get a card with higher write speed. This will reduce delays when taking pictures.

Class	Logo	Min. Write Speed	Suitable for
Class 2		2MB/sec	SD video recording
Class 4		4MB/sec	HD video recording
Class 6		6MB/sec	HD video recording
Class 10		10MB/sec	Full HD video recording
UHS-1		10MB/sec	real-time video streaming and longer HD video recording
UHS-3		30MB/sec	uploading 4K videos

Compact Flash (CF)

Compact Flash cards offer higher read/write speeds and a greater durability than SD cards, which makes them ideal for professional digital cameras and camcorders. CF cards are available in capacities ranging from 512MB to 256GB. The latest versions of CF cards are CFast 2.0 and XQD.

Make sure your device supports this type of card because older devices might not detect the card. However, modern devices will have no problem detecting older models due to backward compatibility.

Card readers

Do you find using cables annoying? Then you need a memory card reader. We distinguish between internal and external card readers. Internal memory card readers are an internal part of a computer case, and most are available in a size of 3.5". Their main advantage is that a card reader of this type does not take up any space on your desk and is always ready to use. However, its installation is quite complicated. External card readers are plugged into a computer via a USB port. The main advantages are its low weight and compact size, making it a good portable solution. The main disadvantages are that it blocks one USB port and takes up space on your desk.